"Making Census Of It All"

Making census of it all KENNETH C. CROWE II TU
The U.S. Constitution requires that a census be conducted every 10 years.
The census takes a snapshot of the nation's population on April 1, Census
Day. Census forms were expected to arrive in American households this week
between Monday and today. The first census was done in 1790. This year marks
the 23rd time that the federal government has counted the country's
population and solicited information about its makeup. The first Census Day
was Aug. 2, 1790. April 1 has been Census Day since 1930. In 1790, the U.S.
population was 3.9 million. The estimated U.S. population in 2010 is 309
million. The census mailing package includes a cover letter, the 2010 Census
form and a postage-paid return envelope. The 10 questions should take about
10 minutes to complete. The responses are confidential and protected by
federal law. These are the questions: • 1. The number of people
living in the residence • 2. Any additional people that might be
living there as of April 1, 2010 • 3. Whether the residence is owned
or rented • 4. Telephone number (in case the Census Bureau has
follow-up questions) • 5. Name • 6. Sex • 7. Age and
date of birth • 8. Whether of Hispanic origin • 9. Race
• 10. Whether that person sometimes lives somewhere else Here are
some facts about each of them: • Question 1 Used to get accurate
count of household members on Census Day, April 1, 2010. • Question 2
First asked in 1800. Picks up people left out of first question. •
Question 3 First asked in 1890. An economic indicator. Using for planning
and housing decisions. • Question 4 In case the Census Bureau needs
to reach you to complete an incomplete form. • Question 5 The name
of every household member is listed. First done in 1850. • Question 6
Dates from 1790. Used for determine federal funding of certain programs.
• Question 7 First asked in 1800. Used to provide data to interpret
and forecast social and economic data. • Question 8 Asked since
1970. Used to monitor compliance with anti-discrimination laws and for
voting districts. • Question 9 Asked since 1790. Data for
administering anti-discrimination laws and monitoring racial disparities in
areas such as health and education. • Question 10 Asked to ensure
response accuracy and completeness. Questions are repeated for other
household members on the rest of the form. U.S. Census facts •
Households that won't respond The bureau estimates 47.8 million
households won't mail back the census form and will require follow-up visits
from census takers. • Census cost The estimated cost for the 2010
Census is $14.5 billion from 2001-2013. • Privacy It's against the
law for census workers to disclose personal information. Individual census
records are kept secret for 72 years. Source: U.S. Census Bureau The U.S.
Census Bureau has a Web site devoted to the 2010 Census. The Web address is
http://2010.census.gov/2010census/ .